2015-2016 Legislative Session

This information reflects a review of legislation proposed as of 2014-12-29.
Note that some are non-highway, if I find them of interest. Also note that
Caltrans has a new website to
obtain bill information, which includes the ability to subscribe to bills
and to comment on them. Last items examined:

Assembly: AB 73, ACA 1, ACR 5, AJR 2, HR 3.

Senate: SB 60, SCA 1, SCR 3, SJR 2, SR 7

Note: ★ indicates new items as of this update.

Bills of interest under active consideration by the California State
Assembly

★ AB
17 (Bonilla) Personal income tax: credit: qualified tuition
program.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various
credits against the taxes imposed by those laws.

This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2016, and before January 1, 2021, allow a credit in the amount of 20% of
the monetary contributions made to a qualified tuition program, as defined,
by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, not to exceed $500. This bill would
provide for the payment of a credit amount in excess of tax liability upon
an appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

★ AB
32 (Waldron) Computer crimes.
Existing law establishes various crimes relating to computer services and
systems, including to knowingly and without permission disrupt or cause the
disruption of computer services including government computer services or
public safety infrastructure computer system computer services, add, alter,
damage, delete, or destroy any computer data, software, or program,
introduce a computer contaminant, use the Internet domain name or profile
of another. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions punishable
by specified fines or terms of imprisonment, or by both those fines and
imprisonment. Existing law establishes the time limitations during which a
criminal complaint may be filed.

This bill would make the commission of any of those crimes that involves
acquiring, copying, or distributing a digital image of a person that
displays an intimate body part, as defined, of the person additionally
punishable by a fine not exceeding $10,000 per each digital image acquired,
copied, or distributed. The bill would, notwithstanding any of those other
time limitations, permit a criminal complaint alleging a violation
described in the bill to be filed within one year of the date on which that
violation was discovered.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

★ AB
38 (Eggman) California State University: Stockton campus.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the
administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one
of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The
university comprises 23 independent campuses

This bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to
conduct a study and report to the Legislature on the feasibility of
establishing an independent campus of the California State University in
Stockton
.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

★ AB
40 (Ting) Golden Gate Bridge: sidewalk fees.
Existing law establishes bridge and highway districts and various regional
transportation authorities and transit districts, including the Golden Gate
Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and prescribes the powers and
duties of the district, including the power to fix and collect all tolls
for the use of the district’s property.

This bill would prohibit the district from fixing or collecting any
tolls or access fees for pedestrian and bicyclist use of the Golden Gate
Bridge sidewalks.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

★ AB
51 (Ting) Golden Gate Bridge: sidewalk fees.
(1) Existing law requires, whenever a roadway has been divided into 2 or
more clearly marked lanes for traffic in one direction, that a vehicle
shall be driven as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane and
shall not be moved from the lane until the movement can be made with
reasonable safety. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime.

This bill would authorize a motorcycle to be driven between rows of
stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane if the speed of traffic is 35
miles per hour or less and the motorcycle is driven no more than 10 miles
per hour faster than the speed of traffic. The bill would provide that
these provisions do not authorize a motorcycle to be driven in
contravention of other laws relating to the safe operation of a vehicle. By
creating a new crime this bill would impose a state-mandated local
program.

(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act
for a specified reason.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

★ AB
55 (Nazarian) Arts.
Existing law establishes the Arts Council composed of 11 members, with the
Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Committee on Rules each appointing
one member and the Governor appointing 9 members who are subject to
confirmation by the Senate. The Arts Council is authorized to award grants,
as specified.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
that would increase funding for the arts.12/02/14 From printer. May be heard in committee
January 1.

Resolutions of interest under
consideration by the California State Assembly

★ ACR
1(Levine) Robin Williams Tunnel.
Designates the tunnel on Route 1 and US 101 at postmile .89 in the County
of Marin, commonly known as the Waldo Tunnel, as the "Robin Williams
Tunnel".12/02/14 From printer.

★ ACR
4(Waldron) Joel Mendenhall Memorial Highway.
Designates a portion of Route 76 from post mile 43.25 to the eastern
intersection of Route 76 and San Diego County Route S6, also called Palomar Mountain
Road, at post mile 38.25, in the County of San Diego as the "Joel
Mendenhall Memorial Highway".08/30/14 Status.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate
certain lanes for the exclusive use of HOVs. Under existing law, until
January 1, 2019, or until federal authorization expires, or until the
Secretary of State receives a specified notice, those lanes may be used by
certain vehicles not carrying the requisite number of passengers otherwise
required for the use of an HOV lane, if the vehicle displays a valid
identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Until January
1, 2015, existing law authorizes the DMV to issue no more than 55,000 of
those identifiers. On and after January 1, 2015, existing law authorizes
the DMV to issue no more than 70,000 of those identifiers.

This bill would increase the number of those identifiers that the DMV is
authorized to issue to an unspecified amount.. 12/02/14 From printer. May be acted upon on or after
January 1.

★ SB
59 (Knight) Vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Existing law authorizes local authorities and the Department of
Transportation to establish exclusive or preferential use of highway lanes
for high-occupancy vehicles.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that
provision.12/22/14From printer. May be acted upon on or after
January 21.

Bills/Resolutions sent to the Governor of
Signature

Chaptered Bills/Resolutions: Entered into Law

None of interest in the current session

Bills/Resolutions Vetoed

None of interest in the current session

Dead, Inactive, Joint Rule 56, or Moribund Proposals

Alas, sometimes this proposals come back to life when a
legislator wants to introduce a bill, but is past the bill introduction date.
The bill or resolution is then amended beyond recognition and morphed into a
new bill, often on a different subject.